Mobile GTD'ers - What mobile device is your list manager on?
- Thread starter GTDerEvan
- Start date
I moved my lists from a GTD Coordinator recently to OmniFocus. Great program but lends itself to complexity and unfiltered entering of Projects and Next Actions. With paper, I first thought about whether or not I really wanted something in my planner. As an initial filter, paper worked great. But with OF, I throw everything in there and end up with a huge list of items that I may or may not want in my system. The Weekly Review is taking a lot longer with OF, too, as is the entering in of projects and next actions.
I also dislike not having my projects lists with me in my BlackBerry. Only the Next Actions sync over (with the associated project in brackets behind the item) and there is no single projects list for me to review while out and about.
I have Entourage on my Mac Pro but have heard mixed reviews of the program. iCal's list manager is very weak. Any thoughts about programs I could try?
I also dislike not having my projects lists with me in my BlackBerry. Only the Next Actions sync over (with the associated project in brackets behind the item) and there is no single projects list for me to review while out and about.
I have Entourage on my Mac Pro but have heard mixed reviews of the program. iCal's list manager is very weak. Any thoughts about programs I could try?
Oogiem
0
GTDWorks;69560 said:
I found that true as well in the first few weeks of using OF. Seems that having a tool that I could capture all sorts of things with meant I did. It settles out and the review is now faster as I understand how to set the review times for the someday stuff I don't want to see for several months and use the mark reviewed button.
I changed the toolbar so mark reviewed is right next to the start review process and I can easily flip down through them very fast now.
Also another tip use the OF inbox for stuff you collect and really think before moving it out of there initially.
Am i the only one using
Nokia e90? I use one as my mobile GTD device, and when in office i use Outlook + Excel for GTD.
Nokia e90 w/ active notes for shopping lists, gathering device, call lists (love the folder -ability here), on-the-go-related next actions
w/ memos for longer lists i should keep with me and occasionally edit both on mobile and outlook (customers' freight data, insurance lists)
w/ voice recorder for voice inbox, usually in car/plane/train on which i spend app. 1/4 of my working hours
w/ calendar (i couldnt live w/o reminder function)
w/ tasks. I know this is the part where most people shout "categories", but i usually use this only on the go ie. i just do whats on the list. And when sorting stuff out i usually use outlook. i dont add new tasks to mobile on the go, instead they go to inbox.
@office i use mostly excel that i sync with e90 (using quick office there if needed). i also use outlook since its easier to go through stuff on a bigger screen.
Before the smartphone-age i used Palm's devices, but after getting my hands on the e61i few yrs back i just had to switch, since i could now omit the need for having two devices to cart around. And whereas Nokia using s60 platform isnt ideal if you're using only mobile device for GTD, as phones they are the only robust-enough option for me (i use phone as phone for some 2500+ minutes/month).
Nokia e90? I use one as my mobile GTD device, and when in office i use Outlook + Excel for GTD.
Nokia e90 w/ active notes for shopping lists, gathering device, call lists (love the folder -ability here), on-the-go-related next actions
w/ memos for longer lists i should keep with me and occasionally edit both on mobile and outlook (customers' freight data, insurance lists)
w/ voice recorder for voice inbox, usually in car/plane/train on which i spend app. 1/4 of my working hours
w/ calendar (i couldnt live w/o reminder function)
w/ tasks. I know this is the part where most people shout "categories", but i usually use this only on the go ie. i just do whats on the list. And when sorting stuff out i usually use outlook. i dont add new tasks to mobile on the go, instead they go to inbox.
@office i use mostly excel that i sync with e90 (using quick office there if needed). i also use outlook since its easier to go through stuff on a bigger screen.
Before the smartphone-age i used Palm's devices, but after getting my hands on the e61i few yrs back i just had to switch, since i could now omit the need for having two devices to cart around. And whereas Nokia using s60 platform isnt ideal if you're using only mobile device for GTD, as phones they are the only robust-enough option for me (i use phone as phone for some 2500+ minutes/month).
Oogiem
0
GTDWorks;69571 said:
I synch my OF system with iCal and then with my Treo so I have my NAs at my side all the time. However, I've recently discovered that I put notes and references and stuff I need to do those NAs in the notes part in OF and that does not synch so when I'm heading out to work in a context outside where those notes are important I print a copy of my NA list for that context and stuff that into my belt pack. I make any notes about the actions right on that paper as I am doing and when I come in and re-group for my next set of work I update OF. I don't print them out all the time, only when I need the references and notes attached to a NA
GTD Works, I'm wondering why you decided to move from paper to electronic - it sounds like the Coordinator was working for you. I have flipped back and forth, and I use Omnifocus (it syncs better than you describe, but maybe there's a difference between iphone and blackberry), but I really like my lists on paper to work from.
Claudia
Claudia
photodiva:
Thanks for asking. There are several reasons why I switched from paper to digital:
1. Because I do a lot of GTD coaching (for free!) with family and friends, I try to keep up on both methods so I can coach from experience.
2. While I've had a few hiccups with OmniFocus, I think most of it had to do with Missing Sync and not the OF program itself. And with paper, I had to keep more paper project reference files. But with OF, the notes section below the project is ideal for storing lots of relevant information. Plus, I can make changes quickly and cleaning without a lot of re-writing/whiting out involved. I also keep a lot of checklists and they nest well within OF.
3. I have a very busy life these days and digital calendaring seems to work well as I can put a lot of appointments/reoccurring items in my schedule without a lot of re-writing and fuss.
4. I'm still hybrid to a point: I carry my planner throughout the day with lots of note paper for capturing meeting notes, ideas, mind sweeps, etc. I still keep my old lists and calendar pages in it so I can use them to show others the GTD system and how it plays out in analogue.
5. I got a new Mac and LOVE playing on it!
I must confess that I long for the day when there is one PIM for Mac that is unified with Calendar, Contacts, Tasks and Notes in one program. I eagerly wait for Outlook for Mac to be released to see if MS has shed its Entourage failure for something that works like the Mac applications do.
Thanks for asking. There are several reasons why I switched from paper to digital:
1. Because I do a lot of GTD coaching (for free!) with family and friends, I try to keep up on both methods so I can coach from experience.
2. While I've had a few hiccups with OmniFocus, I think most of it had to do with Missing Sync and not the OF program itself. And with paper, I had to keep more paper project reference files. But with OF, the notes section below the project is ideal for storing lots of relevant information. Plus, I can make changes quickly and cleaning without a lot of re-writing/whiting out involved. I also keep a lot of checklists and they nest well within OF.
3. I have a very busy life these days and digital calendaring seems to work well as I can put a lot of appointments/reoccurring items in my schedule without a lot of re-writing and fuss.
4. I'm still hybrid to a point: I carry my planner throughout the day with lots of note paper for capturing meeting notes, ideas, mind sweeps, etc. I still keep my old lists and calendar pages in it so I can use them to show others the GTD system and how it plays out in analogue.
5. I got a new Mac and LOVE playing on it!
I must confess that I long for the day when there is one PIM for Mac that is unified with Calendar, Contacts, Tasks and Notes in one program. I eagerly wait for Outlook for Mac to be released to see if MS has shed its Entourage failure for something that works like the Mac applications do.
GTD Works, Thanks for the great response... makes a ton of sense. I too would love to see something for Mac that unifies it all - why can't Apple create something between iCal, Mail, and Contacts? I hadn't heard about Outlook for Mac, so that will be interesting.
I do love Omnifocus - not sure why working in it always ends up making me go numb to my lists. I've been keeping the running context lists in my Filofax (all else on the Mac/iPhone) and while I don't like lugging the thing around, I do like highlighting what gets done, and also capturing new actions right there without having to transfer them to digital later.
I also think that if the lists are on paper, projects and project support material can be stored in Evernote, which syncs well with iPhone.
I do love Omnifocus - not sure why working in it always ends up making me go numb to my lists. I've been keeping the running context lists in my Filofax (all else on the Mac/iPhone) and while I don't like lugging the thing around, I do like highlighting what gets done, and also capturing new actions right there without having to transfer them to digital later.
I also think that if the lists are on paper, projects and project support material can be stored in Evernote, which syncs well with iPhone.
I use an iphone and the toodledo app. It syncs with outlook and is also accessible via a website so there is a back up in the clouds.
I use the Blackberry Storm 9530 loaded with reQall and Evernote.
Why both? I use reQall for its voice note capture and transcription. reQall sends the messages to my Evernote account. My commute to work is lengthy and ideas germinate while I drive.
Evernote captures voice notes but doesn't convert them to text. It does have desktop programs one can install on Macs, Windows PCs, and SanDisk U3 flash drives. I use an iMac at work and a PC at home--I find that the Windows version works better. For Firefox users, they have Evernote Web Clipper add-on, as well.
Why both? I use reQall for its voice note capture and transcription. reQall sends the messages to my Evernote account. My commute to work is lengthy and ideas germinate while I drive.
Evernote captures voice notes but doesn't convert them to text. It does have desktop programs one can install on Macs, Windows PCs, and SanDisk U3 flash drives. I use an iMac at work and a PC at home--I find that the Windows version works better. For Firefox users, they have Evernote Web Clipper add-on, as well.
Not so great on my HTC Dash...
Off-and-on again I've been using my HTC S620 (T-Mobile Dash) with the inbuilt Windows Mobile Task application. Guess what, I found it to be lousy and lacking for managing my contexts... so I've gotten back to paper and life's been great again.
I'm curious, though, anyone here using a listmanager with an HTC Dash? How did you set up to work with GTD? I've given up on trying to make it work for me.
By the way, in case anyone is interested, I've found MyNotes to be a cool list manager to use on my HTC. It's free and requires Java support. You can use to write notes, make lists and checklists. Other features include password protection and exporting/importing of notes. Much more flexible than the standard tasks app in WM!
Off-and-on again I've been using my HTC S620 (T-Mobile Dash) with the inbuilt Windows Mobile Task application. Guess what, I found it to be lousy and lacking for managing my contexts... so I've gotten back to paper and life's been great again.
I'm curious, though, anyone here using a listmanager with an HTC Dash? How did you set up to work with GTD? I've given up on trying to make it work for me.
By the way, in case anyone is interested, I've found MyNotes to be a cool list manager to use on my HTC. It's free and requires Java support. You can use to write notes, make lists and checklists. Other features include password protection and exporting/importing of notes. Much more flexible than the standard tasks app in WM!